The Beginning of It All
by Elwen Armir
Summary: Ophelia Lupin has to deal with more than the average Hogwarts student.Her brother is a werewolf, her two best friends hate each other, and the other is starting to look kinda cute.
1. Prologue

  
  
**Prologue: Looking Back**  
  
_There are those moments in everyone's life when they experience something extraordinary. Most people have these occurrences only once or twice throughout their entire lifetime. But if you are a part of that extremely rare and lucky group, your life is made up of these moments, with the unfrequent boring bits tying them all together.  
_

_I belong to the second group.  
_

_As I sit here, quill noisily scratching the parchment, my very death is being planned, along with those who lives I hold most dear. If that seems odd to you, what I am about to tell you may seem like a great story. You may take it as just that: a tale contrived purely from my imagination.  
_

_But I swear to you; everything I am now telling you is completely true. I am telling someone, anyone, so that the details of my life, and of those around me, will not be forgotten with our rather untimely deaths.  
This is an account of the moments that made up my life- all extraordinary I assure you, but not all great or pleasurable to recall_.  
  
A loud knock echoed around the room. "Come in." Ophelia called, tucking the scroll away under her covers. Remus entered, looking unusually pale for the full moon being more than two days ago.

"We're, uh, leaving tomorrow night." he muttered. "There's still time for you to change your mind, Phe."

"I'm coming with you. You'll need me before this is all over. Don't ask me how- I'm not exactly sure. But you will need me."

Remus pulled her into a tight hug. "You're my little sister, my best friend. I'll always need you."

He glanced round the room, his eyes falling on a picture of Vega, Talia, Lily and Ophelia. It was taken in their last year at Hogwarts. He quickly turned away, a look of pure anguish washing over his face.

"Rem-"

"I have to go." he said abruptly.

She nodded. "I know."

"I'll be back in the morning."

A few moments later he was gone, and Ophelia was once again alone. She returned to the parchment. To accurately describe what happened, she had to go back to the beginning, almost thirty years ago. And though she had fought for most of that time to suppress her memories of what happened, Ophelia knew she now had to return and figure out just where it all went wrong, in hopes of making some kind of an end.


	2. The Week of Changes

CHAPTER ONE **The Week of Changes  
**  
Ophelia's life as she knew it began on July 1st, 1971, when her brother Remus, their surrogate sister Talia and herself received their invitations to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A few days later however, letters from Beauxbatons and Lochland Academy arrived, asking her to join their fall semesters. The envelope from Beauxbatons was particularly beautiful, with Ophelia's name written in gold ink across the purple parchment. Her name had never looked as grand as it did that day. Ophelia Lupin now sounded like the name of some fantastical witch.

"Beauxbatons is a school for snobs, you know." Remus said during dinner that night.

"Remus!" Talia cried, trying desperately to suppress her laughter.

Helena smiled. "I went to Beauxbatons."

"Yes, but when you realized what a wretched place it was you transferred to Hogwarts, where you met father."

Ophelia shrugged and continued to move the food around her plate.

"The only magic you'll learn there is how to properly brew a love potion." he continued.

Noah came to his daughter's aid. "Beauxbatons is a fine school, Remus, as are Lochland and Hogwarts. Which ever your sister chooses will be right for her."

"I've already decided."

"Well? Which is it?"

"Are you daft? I can barely stand to be away from you for more than a few hours, never mind the next seven years. I'm going to Hogwarts, of course."

Remus leapt up, knocking over his chair in the process, and wrapped her in a tight hug. "This will be perfect," he said, "All of us together."

At that moment, a loud crash echoed from the sitting room, followed by a string of curses.

"Bloody hell! What do you think one at a time means?"

"I think I broke my leg.."

"Oh, it's always about your problems, isn't it?"

They excused themselves from the table and headed to the sitting room, where James and Sirius lay tangled in a heap under the fireplace.

"Get off!" yelled Sirius, pushing James onto the floor. James quickly stood up and shook the soot from his permanently rumpled hair. Meanwhile, Sirius jumped to his feet, ignoring the dark smudges that covered his face.

"Hello everyone." said James, sniffing the air. "It seems we've interrupted supper."

"Don't you always?"answered Ophelia, collapsing onto the couch.

Sirius grinned wickedly and flopped down next to her. "I heard you're going to the Veela school. Looking forward to drinking tea and eating crumpets all day then?"

"No more than you're looking forward to the Dark Arts at Durmstrang. I'm not going, you prat."

"You're coming to Hogwarts with us?" James asked excitedly.

"Of course." she turned to Sirius. "Haha, you're glad I'm going."

His face flushed. "So what if I am?"

"So nothing." Ophelia repeated, sticking out her tongue at him. "Are you both spending the night?"

James nodded, his dark hair flopping onto his forehead. "We could play Quidditch."

"In the dark you mean?" Talia piped up. "I don't like it in the dark."

"Oh come on. We can set up the flying lights Noah got us. How 'bout it, Phe? Boys against girls."

"Alright, I guess I'll play. But I don't think it's fair to put Sirius with us."

"Oh bugger off!"

Ophelia lay awake in bed two nights later, the night of the full moon, listening to the her brother's anguished cries. It had been almost two years, and approximately twenty-one full moons since the disastrous day when Remus had been attacked.

A low, drawn out scream echoed from the fields, past the Quidditch pitch, but still relatively close to the house. Their father, Noah, had constructed something of an underground cellar, where Remus could live out his tortured nights, without being 'a danger to others', as Helena had so eloquently put it.

"But what about being a danger to himself?" Ophelia said aloud, her thoughts, as they usually did during the full moon, traveling back to that infamous week. A memory which she vividly recalled with little effort, as though it had only taken place a few days ago.

**October 1969**  
  
Ophelia sat at the dining room table, staring at her reflection in the polished, black wood.

"How I loathe when you do this." Helena sighed.

"Do what?"

"Waste your time, your youth, by lounging around the Estate when your father or brother are not near."

"What would you have me do, mother?"

She cringed at that word, _mother_. "Something more productive."

Ophelia shrugged her shoulders. "Remus will be home in a few minutes. I'll just wait for him."

"Honestly, how the two of you live by each other. It won't be like that when you're older and living on your own. You might as well get use to going periods of time without him."

"Wasn't that the grande plan of things? Having us eleven months apart, and than raising us in relative seclusion? Wasn't all of that effort made so that we would be close?"

A small smile danced at the corners of her delicately painted mouth. "Ophelia, you are far too beautiful and smart for your own good."

"James says that parents praise their children as a way of praising themselves. So what you're really doing is complimenting your own intelligence and beauty."

Helena laughed, the sweet sound filling the room. "Where did he hear that?"

"One of his uncle's psychotic therapy books."

"I think you mean psycho therapy." she corrected. "James is such a good influence on you and your brother."

"Don't you mean James and Sirius are both good influences?"

She cleared her throat and began playing with the napkin in her lap. "Yes, I suppose..."

"Helena," Ophelia began, "He did practically save my life when I wandered into Knockturn Alley all those years ago. Who knows where I would be today if-"

"Alright, alright, Sirius Black is a saint!"

She stuck out her tongue. "I wouldn't go that far."

At that moment the sound of Crinkett, their guard dog, could be heard running up to the foyer.

Ophelia grinned as Helena looked her way. "They're home.' they said in unison. She scrambled off her chair and ran to greet them.

Noah swept her up in his arms. "Good morning, Phe. Hello Helena. I trust you are packed?"

Their house elf Frinka lugged the heavy suitcase down the staircase.

"You're going away?" she cried, "You've only just returned!"

"Only for a few days, sweetie." he reasoned. "We'll be back by Friday at the latest. We have to take care of some legal matters regarding...well..you'll see in good enough time."

She dropped to her feet. "Fine. Have a good time."

In a mere minute he had disappeared, accompanied this time by Helena.

"Do I even get a hello? Maybe 'How was your trip Remus?'"

Ophelia pulled him into a tight squeeze. "Hello. How was your trip Remus?" she repeated. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." He smiled, returning the hug.

"Where are they going?"

"I don't know. Must be important though, right?"

"I guess."

"So Noah and Helena are gone for the next couple days. Should we invite James and Sirius over?"

They headed back into the dining room, the remains of breakfast still on the table.

"Sure. We haven't seen James in almost a week." she smirked. "It's been absolute torture."

Remus began tucking into the leftover eggs and bacon on her plate. "Does it ever bother you that you don't have any girl friends?"

"No..why would it? You and James are the only friends I need."

He laughed. "Still a bit sore with Sirius then?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."she lied.

"Then let me refresh your memory: You were laying outside near the lake just after dinner last week when Sirius thought it would be funny to play a trick on you."

"Oh that."

"Further more," he continued, "He made you think that a rowdy gang of goblins had come to take you back to a Gringotts."

"It wasn't funny!" she cried. "He said they were going to lock me up in one of their vaults, and he knew I just had a nightmare about that happening, it practically scared me witless!"

"He didn't mean anything by it. He was just having a bit of fun."

Ophelia closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "Invite Sirius too."

"You won't mind?"

"I won't mind." she promised.

He grabbed a strip of parchment from the cupboard. "Thanks, Phe."

Later that evening, Ophelia was holed away in her bedroom, sprawled across the dark purple duvet. She was starting a game of wizard's chess; her against herself. The boys were in the family room doing what she could only imagine.

"Queen to B2." she muttered. A loud knock echoed round the room. "Come in." Sirius entered and strode over to the bed. "Hello."

"Hello." she returned stiffly.

He flopped down next to her. "Come now. You're not still angry with me, are you Phe?"

She turned away, holding her tongue.

"I didn't mean anything by it."

"That's what Remus said."

"Well, he was right." Sirius reached inside a velvet bag hidden by his side. "I've just returned from France as you well know."

Ophelia dropped her guard. "How terrible was it?"

He grinned. "It will surely go down as one of the worst experiences of my life. Regulus got lost in the Eiffel Tower. I brought you something."

She traced her finger along the pattern on the covers. "What is it?"

"I knew you couldn't stay mad at me." he opened his fist to reveal a glowing, pink crystal ball, about the size of an apple. "It's a Mellezerent. It lets you remember the dreams you've forgotten and forget the dreams you've wished you never had."

He dropped the Mellezerent into her hands. "Sirius..thank you." she said, bringing him into a tight hug.

He shook his head, chuckling. "You're such a girl."

"That's a good thing." she reminded him.

His eyes fell upon the chessboard. "Playing against yourself again? Start a new game, I'll join you."

Ophelia cleared the board. "So how exactly did Regulus get lost in the Eiffel Tower?"

He sighed. "Long story, centered mainly around my brother being a git."  
  
A few hours later, following three rounds of wizard's chess-- Sirius won, best two out of three --James and Sirius had finally left for the night, with promises to return the day after tomorrow.

Ophelia sunk into the deep, brown suede sofa, a sigh escaping her lips. "I am so tired."

"So am I." Remus agreed. He looked around the sitting room. "Where's Crinkett?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Outside maybe? Did you let him out?"

"No, I didn't. I'll just go have a quick look for him around the grounds."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, no, I'll only be a few minutes."

He left the room and moments later Ophelia heard the front door click shut. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the soft cushions. The only sound was the grandfather clock ticking away the seconds.

She began to count the minutes by the passing ticks. One..two...four..five...nine... _What was taking him so long? _Remus knew better than to wander too far away from the castle when Noah and Helena were not at home. Soon nine minutes turned to ten, and ten to thirteen. He was taking too long. Something had happened. Ophelia grabbed a jacket to fight the crisp air and went after her brother.

Her footsteps crunched on the frozen ground. She searched the vast yard for any sign of Remus, but found none. With a cold dread in the pit of her stomach, she turned her gaze towards the old forest.

Noah had always warned them against going to close near the edge, never mind inside. He said that things lived in that forest that weren't too friendly with people. The expanse of the wood reached into far Northern areas of Scotland, areas not entirely scouted because no one had ever returned. She and Remus had always dismissed these tales as straight magic folklore. But what if there _was _some truth behind it?

"Remus?"cried Ophelia, her voice breaking. "If this is you're idea of a funny trick, it's not working. Please come out."

He didn't return her call. She quickly mustered every ounce of strength she had in her young body and marched into the forest.

"Remus?" she called again. "Where are you?"

As she walked deeper into the forest, what little light was thrown from the full moon, was being choked out. The vegetation and shrubs were becoming more dense, making it harder for her to find any kind of path. Suddenly, she heard the familiar barking of Crinkett. Ophelia stopped in her tracks- something was wrong. More wrong than she had imagined. She began hurrying along towards the sound of Crinkett struggling.

In a small clearing in the woods, she could make out the shapes  
of Crinkett and Remus, who was bent over at the waist.

"Remus!"

"Run Ophelia!" he screamed. _"Run!"  
_

Her feet stayed glued to the ground. "Remus!"

A hideous snarling came from the darkened trees, pacing back and forth.

_"It's a werewolf Phe. Get out of here!" _A voice in her head urged.  
Remus' voice. She couldn't understand what was going on, but didn't heed the advice.

Ophelia persuaded Crinkett to come to her side, and whispered for him to chase away whatever was lingering outside in the blackness. Against all reasoning, he actually obeyed her wish, and padded to where the snarling had last been heard.

She rushed to Remus' side. His sweater was red and soaked through with blood. Ophelia gasped. "Remus...what..?"

He struggled to sit up. "We have to get away from here.." he sputtered.

She was able to get him to his feet. Crinkett returned, his left paw hanging limp at his side.

Ophelia draped his arm around her neck and slowly staggered out of the forest. They went along in silence, the only sound being Remus' raspy breath coming in and out in short bursts. The trees became lighter as they reached the edge of the forest. With this new knowledge that they were only a few yards away from home, their pace quickened, and she was able to drag him along with much greater ease.

"We're almost there."said Ophelia, her pseudo-encouraging tone falling incredibly short of the mark. He only grunted in reply.

She threw open the heavy mahogany doors and bolted them shut once Remus, Crinkett and herself were all safely inside, if_ safely _was the right word.

She gently laid Remus down on the sofa. He was drenched in a cold sweat and his body was trembling violently. His hair was matted to his sickly white face.

"Phe.." he whispered.

Ophelia held his clammy hand between her own. "What do I do?"

She gingerly lifted his shirt, to reveal a jagged wound, running the length of his chest.

"Is it a scratch or a bite?" he asked, the answer already known to them both.

"A bite." she choked. "Are you sure that it wasn't an ordinary wolf? Because-"  
"It was a werewolf, Phe."

She grabbed a blanket and quickly wrapped him in it. "Should we take the Floo to Saint Bartholomew's?"

"_No! _No hospitals. You can't tell anyone."

"You're delirious, we have to get you to a Healer. The sooner, the better. I'll just send an owl to Noah. Or Uncle Aldolphus."

"No, I'll be fine. If you take me anywhere I will never speak to you again."

"No Remus, you won't be fine." she said, suprised at her own firmness. "I'm taking you to Saint Bart's, and if you want to hate me, then go ahead. But at least you'll be alive to hate me."  
  
Ophelia sat in the straight back chair, her unblinking gaze falling upon the dull purple walls. The door to Remus' room opened and the Healer joined her in the hallway.

"Miss Lupin, your brother is sleeping right now, and we have notified your parents of his condition, although they will be unable to make it until the morning."

"I... don't care about my parents. How is Remus?"

"He was bitten by a werewolf. He is going to face a lifetime of difficulty and struggle, mainly physical, but also from within the community. I'm ashamed to say that there still remains a prejudice against werewolves."

"Isn't there something you can give him? A tonic, maybe?"

He shook his head sadly. "There is no way to reverse the process once it has begun."

Ophelia slumped back down into the chair, burying her head in her hands. She spent the night resting outside his room. When she awoke in the late morning, Noah and Helena had finally arrived.

Helena nudged her awake. "Hello Ophelia."

"Why didn't you come last night?"

They both seemed to be taken back by the question. "We had something we had to deal with." Noah explained.

"More important than your son being attacked by a werewolf?"

"It's complicated." said Helena.

"We've just seen Remus. He was asking for you."

"He was?"said Ophelia, before darting into his room. He was laying in bed, the white hospital linens drawn up to his chin. He opened his eyes and forced a faint smile.

"Hey," she whispered, "How are you feeling?"

"The Healers gave me a really good potion, so I don't feel a thing."

She pulled a chair closer to his bedside and sat down. "I'm..sorry about _them_." she spat. "Absolutely nothing excuses that."

Remus sighed weakly. "They acted as though it was nothing. As if I was just another errand on their list of things to do."

Ophelia took his hand, which was cold to the touch. "That was the broom that broke the Hippogriff's back, as they say. As far as I'm concerned it's just you and me now. I'll take care of you."

"I know you will." he said, yawning loudly.

She brushed the hair off his brow."I'll let you get some rest."

Remus was still fairly weak when she left, though the Healers promised he could leave the next day.

Ophelia shut the heavy door behind herself and surveyed the entrance.

Something was different.

"Hello?" she called. "Noah? Helena?"

She entered the living room and saw a girl about her own age, sitting stiffly on the sofa. "Hello."she squeaked.

"Hello." Ophelia repeated. "Who are you?"

"Talia." she said plainly.

Ophelia waited for her to say something more. But when Talia didn't, she replied, "Alright. Well I'm Ophelia. You can call me Phe. Everyone else does." She nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry, but what are you doing here?"

Noah entered the room. "Ah, Ophelia. I see you have acquainted yourself with our new houseguest Talia."

"Oh, yes. How long will you be staying with us?"

"Indefinitely," replied Noah quickly. "Your mother and I have adopted her."

Ophelia mustered a smile. "Welcome to the family."


	3. LILY EVANS

_**Revised and extended**_

CHAPTER TWO **Lily Evans  
**  
Ophelia nervously followed James onto the Hogwarts Express. They quickly found an empty train compartment and threw themselves inside.

Remus began fiddling with his new wand; withdrawing it from his leather pouch, polishing off the flecks of dust and replacing it.

"Would you stop that?" Talia snapped. "I'm nervous enough as it is."

"Sorry."

Ophelia tried to make herself excited in order to calm her sister down , and within a few moments, the corners of Talia's mouth curved into a faint smile.

As soon as the train began to move, Sirius rummaged through his suitcase and retrieved a brown, burlap sack. The contents of the bag must have been leaking, as it was thoroughly soaked, and a heavy odour filled the compartment.

Ophelia rolled her eyes, "We haven't even been to school yet and you're already playing with dungbombs?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "They're for the Slytherins."

"But what if you're put in Slytherin?"

"Wouldn't that be a laugh?"said Ophelia. "A Black being sorted into a house other than Slytherin?"

"Well there's a first for everything," he replied, "And I appreciate your confidence in me, Phe. It's real heartening."

"I just don't see--"

A knock at the open glass door brought them out of their conversation. A girl was standing awkwardly in front of them. Her looks could be described as striking, as her fair, ivory skin was the perfect backdrop for her emerald green eyes and fiery red hair.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." she began, "but this is the only compartment that isn't quite full...or doesn't have skulking boys hanging about."

Ophelia pushed Remus over in an attempt to make room for the new arrival, "You're welcome to stay here," she said brightly.

The girl sat down next to her, smiling appreciatively. "Thank you. I was beginning to think I would have to sit up front with the conductor. My name is Lilian Evans."

Ophelia shook her slender hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ophelia Lupin." she began the round of introductions. "This is my brother Remus-"

"Hello."

"Our sister Talia."

"Hi there."

"And those two troublemakers over there are James Potter and Sirius Black."

"Hello."

"Are you a first year?"asked Ophelia. Lily nodded politely. "Do you have any older siblings at Hogwarts?"

"No,"she chuckled, "No, I'm the only witch in my family."

James grinned, "You're Muggle-born?"

"You'll have to forgive James, he's not house-trained," said Remus.

Lily dismissed it with a wave of her hand, "Don't think on it. I feel the same about all of you; I've never thought magic to be more than pulling a rabbit out of a hat."

Sirius frowned, deeply puzzled, "Why would you pull a rabbit out of a hat?"

"It's..well...never mind,"she said.

"So you don't know much about our world?" asked Sirius. "You've never played Quidditch then?"

"Pardon?"

Ophelia threw a Flavour Bean at him, hitting him in the nose. "Were you raised by hinkypunks, Sirius? Stop it!"

"How did you know where to find your school supplies?" asked Remus.

"Well, when I first received my letter and saw the list, I was really afraid that I wouldn't be able to get what I needed. When I had needed to buy things for school before--"

"Wait," interrupted Sirius, "You've already been to school?"

"Yes, primary school. Didn't... never mind. Anyway, a representative from the Ministry of Magic came and escorted me to a place where I found everything I needed."

The snack trolley clattered by and they quickly filled up on sweets, ignoring Remus' comments about saving room for supper.

A while later, the train came to a halt. Ophelia's heart sank into her stomach as she realized that she was finally starting school.

But the initial excitement left and was replaced by the fear that she could get sorted into a different House than Remus and her friends.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ophelia saw Talia clutch for her stomach.

"Sorry,"she muttered, struggling to get her emotions in check and failing miserably.

They stepped off the train and onto the bustling platform.

_"Al'righ, al'righ," _a booming voice called, "Firs' years, thatta way. Com'on now. Don' doddle. Firs' years, follow me. To tha boats now."

Ophelia stood on the tips of her toes and peered over the throng of people to a black-bearded giant.

She looked to Lily, who quickly put on a brave smile as they made their way over to the man. They were put four to a boat. Talia hastily led Ophelia and Lily over to an empty boat.

"Phe?" Remus frowned.

"I'll catch up with you in the castle."she hollered, as Sirius pushed him and James into another boat, already occupied by a lanky, dark haired boy.

They were soon gliding smoothly across the water, inching closer to the castle with every stoke of the oar.

Remus peered into the calm, black water. He thought he caught something swimming beneath the surface, keeping up with the other rafts, but a moment later it was gone, and he dismissed it from his mind.

Sirius leaned over the boat's edge, letting his fingertips dip into the cool water. James grabbed him roughly by the shoulders, shaking him.

"Careful, Sirius, wouldn't want to fall in," he grinned devilishly.

Sirius splashed a bit of water at him, "I'd just use you as a raft, James, nothing to worry about."

James laughed and throwing a glance over to the fourth occupant of their boat. The boy was curled up at the back of the boat, trying his best to keep to himself. His dark eyes were downcast, and his thoughts were a million miles away.

"Hey mate," called Sirius, "What's your name?"

"Severus Orion Snape," he said, never daring to look up. The darkness that engulfed the lake was casting weird shadows upon the boy's face.

"I think my father knows your father," Sirius said.

The boy smiled, if what he did could be called a smile, "I won't hold that against you."


	4. THE SORTING

_**Revised and Extended**_

CHAPTER THREE **The Sorting  
**  
The children soon reached the many tiered school and silently filed inside.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall began, "Your home for the next seven years of your long lives. I will be taking you into the Great Hall, where in the presence of your fellow schoolmates, you will be sorted into one of the four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin are their names," she paused for effect, "Well then, please follow me."

Lily linked her arm through Ophelia's, "I never imagined a school could be so... _threatening_. Promise you won't sneak off?"

"Promise."

Remus soon found his sister in the crowd and led Sirius, James and Severus over to them.

"Are you ready?"he asked, clutching her hand tightly.

She let out a heavy sigh. "Sure."

The small group was ushered inside, keeping close together. They came to a stop in front of the faculty table. Professor McGonagall brought out a stool and the infamous Sorting Hat.

All was silent and still until a rip near the hat's brim sprang to life.

"Well?" the hat croaked, making Lily jump. "It's that time already, is it? I was enjoying a nice nap in Dumblydore's office. On with it then. I don't have all day, you know."

_"From the day of founding, to this night,_

_Witches and wizards from all places and all plights,_

_Have been brought before me, waiting for my judgement._

_Where they be sorted into the Houses,_

_From which the wise Rowena Ravenclaw chooses those she deems best of them all._

_Or will Godric Gryffindor find those with bravery and courage in their hearts?_

_Salazar Slytherin only asked for those whose skills were cunning and minds were proud._

_Fair Helga Hufflepuff took the rest, believing that they had qualities above the rest._

_Now it is your turn. _

_Put yourself to the test."_

McGonagall unfurled a long, yellowed parchment once the Sorting Song was done, "Sirius Black," she called.

He confidently strode to the front of the crowd, the least nervous of the group, and hopped onto the stool. Immediately after the hat was placed upon his head,_ "Gryffindor!"_echoed around the quiet Hall.

A wave of relief washed over his face as the table erupted into cheers.

This is when the most peculiar thing happened to Ophelia; she was trying so hard to block out the negative thoughts, that she ended up blocking out sound as well. The applause and murmuring fell flat once they reached her ears.

One by one, the students were called to the front, the crowd rapidly thinning out. She watched where they went after being sorted, and when Lily left her side, seven first-years had been sorted into the three other Houses, with Sirius being the only new addition to Gryffindor thus far. Much to her happiness, Lily was sorted into Gryffindor.

The silence had now become deafening, as she watched Ravenclaw and Slytherin gain two more students apiece.

"Ophelia Lupin."

_"My hearing has come back," _she thought to herself, before realizing that it was now her turn. Remus gave her hand a squeeze, "Good luck." he said under his breath.

Ophelia made her way up to Professor McGonagall, who was smiling encouragingly, her heart beating so fast she was sure it was going to beat right out of her chest. She stepped onto the wooden stool and let out a deep breath, feeling the Sorting Hat fall onto her head.

"Ophelia Lupin,"the hat muttered, "Hmmm, where to put you? Your father belonged to Gryffindor, but your mother, she was a Ravenclaw. You have the courage as great as any, but also a reluctance to show it. You would bring much to the Ravenclaw House, you're as cunning as any. Both would suit you fine."

She glanced over to where Lily and Sirius were now sitting, staring back intently.

_"Gryffindor!"  
_

Ophelia grinned and practically ran over to her friends.

"Remus Lupin."McGonagall called.

Her brother looked rather peaky, as if the full moon was approaching, but he faked a brave face and marched to the front of the Hall.

The hat had barely touched the tip of his head when it shouted, _"Gryffindor!"  
_When he came to the table, he nearly tackled Phe and Sirius in a tight hug.

After a pack of disgruntled-looking boys were sorted into Slytherin, the Professor squinted at the parchment. "P-Peter Pettigrew."

A small, timid boy, who the others had not noticed in the crowd until that very moment, crawled up to the stool. The Sorting Hat took a considerable amount of time deciding where to put him before crying, _"Gryffindor!"  
_

He staggered over to the table and sat down next to Remus, quietly muttering, "Hello."

"James Potter."

James walked up to the front, as confidently as Sirius had. Professor McGonagall began to lower the Hat onto his rumpled, black hair. Before even landing upon his head, the Sorting Hat screamed _"Gryffindor!"_, louder and clearer than any before him. He hopped down and joined his friends, a wide, knowing smile plastered across his face.

"Severus Snape."

The boy who had shared a boat with Remus and the others slunk up to the stool. _"Slytherin!" _the Hat cried, after a few moments of deliberation.

"Slytherin?" mouthed James.

"Come to think of it he_ does _look like he belongs there," Sirius replied.

Another girl, named Mai Thylacine, was assigned to Gryffindor, before Talia was called, the very last student to be sorted.

"Talia Westenra." said Professor McGonagall.

Talia's was the longest consideration of the group, but finally, _"Gryffindor!" _was called.

Her face calmed as she took her place next to James.


	5. STERN WARNINGS AND ROGUE MELLEZERANTS

_**Revised and Extended**_

CHAPTER FIVE **Stern Warnings and Rogue Crystals  
**  
Professor Dumbledore, who until now had been sitting serenely at the head of the staff table, rose to his feet.

"Welcome everyone, to what I hope will be a most memorable year at Hogwarts. First years must be warned of the Forbidden Forest, which will not be easily mistaken for any other forest, as it is the only one on the grounds. Our returning caretaker, Mr Filch, has created a list of banned materials, which will be posted in each Common Room," he added with a slight smirk. "Finally, all students will take caution when near our new Whomping Willow, which has been planted for future Herbology classes. You shall keep your distance if you are not interested in suffering a most painful beating. Now then, let the feast begin."

He raised his arms and platters of turkey,mash and sweet corn appeared on the long tables, next to pitchers of banana juice, and warmed caramel crisp.

Lily grinned and muttered something that sounded like "I guess I'll have a lot to get used to."

Ophelia saw the others tucking in, and it occurred to her just how hungry she really was, having skipped the earlier meals.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, all the while exchanging stories of their families

"I'm sending an owl home first thing tomorrow morning." Sirius kept telling everyone. "Just wait until my mum hears I'm in Gryffindor! First in the history of Black's not to be sorted into Slytherin. Just wait until my mum hears."

"First years, please follow us to the dormitories," said a gangly looking Fifth Year, getting to his feet.

"I'm going to tire of that before the year is out." said Lily under her breath.

Ophelia laughed, "I'll bet you they manage to slip it in a few more times before the night is over."

"I wouldn't doubt that."

The Prefect, who they came to know as Fabian Prewett, led them through the castle, noting little details as they went along, such as which Professors were better not crossed-- Perth and Riley, of Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts --and those who were fairly pleasant-- Flitwick and McGonagall, who taught Charms and Transfiguration.

They eventually came to a stop in front of a portrait of a large, grandly dressed woman. The painting sprang to life. "Password?" she drawled.

"_Sepp Hithara."_

The frame swung back and they hesitantly stepped into the Common Room. They were taken up spiraling stone steps and to a small flet.

"Boys, up and to the left. Girls, up and to the right." finished Fabian, before heading down to his own dorm.

Mai, Peter and Cole-- the fifth boy sorted into Gryffindor --hurriedly left, leaving the rest of them standing awkwardly in the cold, cramped corridor.

James cleared his throat. "Shouldn't we be celebrating the fact that we all made it into Gryffindor?"

"Congratulations, Black. I didn't know you had it in you."Ophelia chuckled.

"Truthfully, neither did I."he admitted. "But everything's worked out for the best, so I'm in no position to complain."

Talia yawned, setting off the others.

"We should be getting to our dorms."said Lily. "We still have some unpacking to do."

Ophelia nodded and kissed her brother on the cheek. "Good night. Sleep well. 'Night James, Sirius."

Ophelia followed Talia upstairs to their dormitory. They found themselves standing in a circular room; the walls, floor and ceiling made entirely of silvery-white stone, and with five canopied beds facing inwards.

The other girl, Mai, was sitting rigidly on her trunk in the middle of the room. "I-I didn't know what beds you'd prefer."

"That's very kind,"said Ophelia. "Which reminds me, did anyone else notice that only four girls were sorted into Gryffindor? It's always ten to a house; five girls, five boys."

Mai shrugged. "It never occurred to me."

Phe pointed to the bed next to the window. "I want that one."

Talia and Lily claimed the beds on either side of her, leaving Mai to take the bed nearest the door.

They began unpacking and Lily retrieved an oddly-shaped instrument and put it on her night stand.

"What is that?"asked Ophelia

"Pardon? Oh, this is a record player."

She sat down next to her. "What does it do?"

And that was the exact moment the friendship between Lily Evans and Ophelia Lupin was solidified.

Lily brightened and quickly fiddled with a few latches and things, and immediately a great music sounded throughout the room.

Ophelia's jaw dropped. "It's..._brilliant._"

The song, she would later discover, was called "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", and was performed by a group called The Elton Johns.

A few moments later a wave of sleepiness hit them all and they climbed into their warm beds. Ophelia reached into her trunk, looking for her Mellezerant, but after several minutes of digging through weekend clothes, her search was deemed a failure.

She tiptoed over to Talia's bed. _"Tal," _she hissed, "Where is it? Where's my Mellezerant? Do you know?"

"Didn't you pack it?"

"I thought I had. Oh, I can't have left it at home. I wouldn't be that daft."

"Could Remus have it?"she asked.

Ophelia thought for a moment. "Maybe. I'll be right back."

She left the silent room and shuffled down the dark staircase, before colliding with her brother.

"Remus? What are you doing?"

He withdrew her glowing, pink Mellezerant from inside his robes. "I knew you couldn't sleep without this." he said.

She smiled and pulled him into as tight hug. "Thank you. I'll see you in the morning."

When she returned to her dorm, everyone was sound asleep, and a short while later, she joined them.


	6. THE INITIATION OF PETER PETTIGREW

_**Revised and Extended**_

CHAPTER FIVE **The Initiation of Peter Pettigrew**

The morning of their first day of classes at Hogwarts dawned warm and bright. Ophelia, Lily and Talia went down to the Great Hall, as Mai had wanted to send an owl to her parents.

They sat down across from their very tired looking friends.

"Morning all."chirped Ophelia.

"Phe, Tal, Lily,"began Remus, his voice a bit strained. "I'd like you to meet Cole Reid--"

"_The most boring git ever."_muttered James under his breath.

"And Peter Pettigrew."

"_The quietest git ever."_**  
**Ophelia suppressed a laugh. "Nice to meet you."she smiled, shooting James conspiratorial look. He turned a bright shade of pink and shrugged his shoulders.

Professor McGonagall came round and handed each of them their identical timetables.

Lily quickly scanned the list, as Mai sat down next to her. "We have a double History of Magic, followed by Transfiguration and Charms."

Sirius bit into a piece of toast with jelly. "Tha's nah too bad, righ'?" he said, through a mouthful of food.

As they soon discovered, _not that bad _actually meant an incredibly tedious morning.

They filed into the class, which they were sharing with Hufflepuff, and took the two long tables in the back.

A misty blue ghost glided into the room, and without so much as an introduction or greeting, began the lesson.

"The Aztecs were the first civilization to recognize the superior gifts of witches and wizards from common Muggles. At this time, however, they were held in high esteem, and were regarded as exalted beings."Professor Binns droned, his voice stale and monotonous.

Sirius tapped Ophelia on the shoulder. "Should we be writing this down?"

"_Be quiet."_she hissed, "He'll notice we're talking."

But quite in the contrary, Professor Binns continued speaking to the back wall.

James took hold of the rather large _History of Magik: Grade One _textbook and dropped it to the ground with a heavy thud.

They turned their attention back to their teacher, searching for some sign that he had heard the commotion.

"The positions these wizards here were most commonly governing the local society, while others were viewed as Oracles."

Remus was busily writing and had already accumulated half a foot of parchment.

Sirius tilted his chair back. "I am going to love this class."

Ophelia reluctantly turned back in her seat, took out her sugared quill and began to write down the gist of what Binns was dully lecturing about. It was their first day of classes and she already felt bored out of her mind. History of Magic was one of the subjects that Noah and Helena had insisted had insisted on teaching Ophelia and Remus since they were very young. She was finding it extremely difficult to concentrate on something she had learned when she was six years old.

Remus, however, was listening as intently as if up until this moment, he thought magic was just a recent discovery. Ophelia heard a rustling of papers from behind her and seized the opportunity to turn away from her parchment.

James had taken out a bag of Every Flavour Beans and emptied it's contents onto the desktop. "Want one?" he asked, not bothering to keep his voice down.

Ophelia plucked an orange one -always the safest bet when it comes to Every Flavour Beans- from the large pile and popped it into her mouth. _Cheese_. Well that's better than pond slime any day, she thought.

Once their first History of Magic lesson had finally come to an end, they trudged down to the Great hall for lunch.

Peter Pettigrew, the smaller boy who had been hanging back from the crowd for most of the morning, was now lagging a great deal behind. He was poring over his notes when a lanky Slytherin purposefully collided with him, sending him to the floor and his open book bag into the air, it's contents spilling everywhere.

Peter Pettigrew's robes were now covered in sticky, green ink. He looked around the crowd, his face aghast.

The Slytherin boy and his friends began to roar. "Watch where you're going." he snarled.

James cocked his head. "Oh, hullo. My friend here must not have seen you. Seeing as how you blend in so well with the dungeon decor. Pardon us."

The scowling Slytherins looked as if they had just tasted something very awful and went to reply when Professor Riley passed by. They instead turned angrily on their heels and left.

Sirius helped the boy to his feet and pointed his wand at the mess."Scourgify." he muttered. But nothing happened. _"Scourgify!" _he repeated, with a bit more force.

James pushed his friend out of the way. "Scourgify."

The ink covered robes were now clean. Peter grinned sheepishly and shook James' hand. "Thank you. I should probably be more careful between classes."

"Maybe getting your head out of the books for a while your walking down the halls." growled Sirius.

James elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't think on it. It wasn't your fault, Petey."

During the rest of the short walk to the hall, James politely asked about the boy's family and where he came from, much to the chagrin of Sirius, who didn't like being out of the spotlight.

For the rest of their day, Petey Pettigrew walked alongside his new friends, and was ready with a laugh when someone cracked a joke, or to answer when a question was posed in class- even though his response was usually wrong.


	7. FIRST IMPRESSIONS

_**Revised and Extended**_

CHAPTER SIX **First Impressions **

Professor Riley was a spry wizard of about sixty-five years. Everyday he donned jet black robes and wore his long, silvery black hair tied back with the same red velvet ribbon.

Head of the Ravenclaw House, he was highly knowledgeable, especially when it came to matters of the Dark Arts, Qudditch, and transparent creatures.

He was a kindly man, but his deep, booming voice often portrayed him as being ill-tempered. Too stuck in his ways to debunk the theory, he used it to his advantage of keeping his students attention.

This was no different when he entered the class comprised of the first-year Gryffindor and Slytherin.

"I am Professor Riley." he began, making the girls jump in their seats. "During our time spent together in this classroom, I will teach you how to recognize Dark Magic and how to protect yourself from it's many evils. In your first year at Hogwarts you will learn about various species of scheming vegetation, including the Rolypok. Can anyone tell me the physical characteristics of the Rolypok? Yes, you! Girl in the back! What is your name?"

"D-Dorcas Meadows, sir," the petite Ravenclaw girl answered. "Er, Rolypoks are green. Bright green. With red leaves. Long leaves. Like a willow." she said in a halting sort of fashion.

"No." barked Professor Riley."You are wrong. Anyone else brave enough to take a stab at it? Yes. Behind the erroneous one."

Remus lowered his hand. "They look like ordinary trees. Brown bark. Green leaves. Except the leaves are not leathery to the touch as most others are; they are more like...fur. Rolypoks are found deep in the core of possessed forests."

"Very good, dear boy. And do you know why they are classified as a Type C Treacherous Tree?"

"Because they attack anything that touches their trunk." answered Remus. "They'll try to strangle it."

"Right again. What is your name, lad?"

"Remus Lupin." he said quietly.

"Class, Mr Lupin is right. Rolypoks are terrible creatures, but as you will learn throughout the next seven years, they are in fact a lesser evil." Professor Riley explained, putting emphasis on every syllable. "Take out your books now and turn to the fourth page, the section entitled Branches of Subordinate Dark Magics. Read for the next half hour, and due on my desk in two weeks time, a foot of parchment on the classifications of scheming vegetation."

Class dismissed, they went on to their first Potions lesson. Professor Caery was hunched over at his desk when his students arrived.

They took their seats once again at the back, and excitedly placed their cauldrons on the rickety tables.

The dark dungeon smelled of old, musty books and potion left in a corner to decompose.

Professor Caery, who didn't seem to notice the stench, slowly got up and stood in front of his class. "Due to a rather large explosion caused by one of my first-years last October, your first few months will be spent doing written work out of your book before we start the practical application. Cauldrons away."

After a shared hesitation amongst the students, Professor Caery waved his wand and the heavy cauldrons disappeared beneath the desks.

"Will every class be like this?" asked Lily, under her breath. "Reading passages out of our books?"

Ophelia shook her head. "No...well at least, I don't think so. Maybe just the first few days."

Professor Caery shot the girls a menacing look before continuing. "We will first study simple restorative potions. Page nine, please."

As it happened, Ophelia was right and a few weeks into the term the Professors trusted them to do practical magic.

Or was the case until the week they began their new unit of study in Potions.

When Petey leaned in to see if his concoction did indeed smell like bananas, his nose migrated over to his ear.

Professor Caery, unlike the rest of the class, did not in the least find this amusing, as he ordered Remus to take Petey to the infirmary.

The following days their classes were restricted to text work.


	8. Full Moons and Explanations

CHAPTER SEVEN ** Full Moons and Explanations**

Towards the end of their first month at Hogwarts, Ophelia and her friends began settling into the castle.

James and Sirius had already made a name for themselves as the school's resident pranksters, outranking even the sixth-year Hufflepuff girls, Becca Wolfe and Adrienne Simons.

Petey had become more comfortable with his new found friends and discovered that the more he was seen with Sirius, James and Remus, the less he was harassed by the Slytherins.

Ophelia and Lily had become very close in a short period of time and were often giggling at the ridiculous moments when the boys' ill-aimed spells blew up in their faces.

Often literally.

Everyone was enjoying themselves. Everyone but Remus.

As each day set, he realized he was one day closer to the full moon and his transformation. When he was home at the Manor, it had been easier for Remus to hide his secret from his friends, asking them not to visit on that particular night.

But at Hogwarts, where he was around James and Sirius during classes, meals and free hours, it would be extremely difficult to come up with some reason why he wasn't sleeping in his bed that night.

Or just where he had received the fresh wounds from.

Professor Dumbledore had suggested Remus tell his friends that he wasn't feeling well. But he highly doubted they would accept this as the truth.

Much to Remus' dismay, he woke up on the morning of 29 September, the cold knot in the pit of his stomach reminding him of the fate that awaited him in the next few hours.

He drifted through his classes, not bothering to take any notes.

James tossed an Every Flavour Bean at his nose, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I agree with Sirius." Remus said automatically.

"Thanks, mate." grinned Sirius. "But I didn't say anything."

"What's wrong?"James asked.

Remus' face dropped once again. "I won't be in the dorm tonight."

"Why not?" said Sirius.

"I'm going home." he blurted out.

Petey leaned over Sirius. "Going home?" he repeated. "You can't go home. The Hogwarts directory states that students may only leave twice a year; once at--"

Sirius clamped a hand over Petey's mouth. "Why are you leaving?"

"Mum's sick." he said simply.

"Oh. Well..I hope she gets better." said James. "When are you coming back?"

"Tomorrow morning."

The few exchanged words were enough to satisfy his friends questions. For now.

Once Transfigurations had concluded, Ophelia led her brother up to the Gryffindor common room, where they would await the arrival of Professors Dumbledore and Sprout.

Remus sat rigidly on the worn, leather couch, nervously wringing his hands.

Ophelia brought him into a comforting hug and felt his stiff body relax a little.

"You're more nervous than usual." said Ophelia. "It's them, isn't it?"

He nodded. "They know somethings up."

"Of course they do. It's their job as friends to ask questions. But I assure you, they'll never piece everything together."

Dumbledore strode into the room, the familiar twinkle in his eye, with Professor Sprout walking a few paces behind.

"It is time, Remus." he said softly.

"Right." he replied, getting to his feet.

"When we arrive at the house you will find your dinner already there."

"Thank you, Professor.." said Remus. Before making his way over to the pair he hugged his sister once more.

"It'll be morning before you know it." Ophelia quietly reassured him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." he smiled weakly. He turned to Dumbledore, "I'm ready."

Once Remus had left, Ophelia collapsed back onto the couch, releasing a deep sigh. She and Remus had always been close, sharing everything from Gobstones to history books. Their's was a bond not many could comprehend.

But as it were, they each anticipated the others mood or feelings, and with a simple glance all could be understood between them.

And it was days such as these that made Ophelia despise their bond. For tonight, she too would feel Remus' pain.

Not to the same extent, of course, but to some degree. She would excuse herself early from dinner and retreat to the quiet solitude of the dormitory, away from the questions of her friends.

Ophelia nodded to herself and went down to the Great Hall.

When she seated herself beside Lily, James gave her an inquisitive look. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Ophelia frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Why are you here?" James repeated. "Didn't you go with Remus to visit your mum?"

She quickly thought of something -anything- to explain it all away. "I..er, need to do some remedial work for Potions. I'm f-falling behind."

"Falling behind?" Sirius replied skeptically. "You helped me with my homework just last week."

"Y-Yes," she stuttered. "Well I am nonetheless working on some Potions homework. If that's alright with you both." snapped Ophelia.

They took the hint and dropped the matter, turning their conversation instead to the upcoming Quidditch match, the first of the season.

Lily nudged her friend. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Ophelia nodded absentmindedly and looked down the table in hopes of finding some solace in Talia.

But instead she found her sister seemingly transfixed by her goblet; her eyes unblinking and her face ghostly.

Ophelia made to call out her name but thought better of it and turned back to her own plate.

Following the plan, she excused herself from dinner and spent the remainder of the night hiding in her bed, the hangings drawn, forcing herself to learn the following weeks Defence lessons.

Shortly after midnight, once Mai, Lily and Talia had retired for the night, did Ophelia put away her wand and spell book. She could faintly make out a faint whimpering coming from Talia's side of the room as she swung her legs over the bedside and crouched down in front of the window.

Other than a light breeze that barely made Ophelia's nightgown stir, the night was still.

She looked from her spot in the tower down to the stagnant grounds. She pushed her gaze past the gamekeeper's hut to the Whomping Willow. And if she strained her ears enough, she thought she could hear the distant shrieks of her tortured brother. With her hand beneath her chin, Ophelia soon drifted off to sleep in front of the window.

Awaking with the first light of the morning, she hastily dressed and made her way down to the infirmary.

In the first bed, a usually pretty sixth-year was sleeping, covered entirely in a shiny, metallic glaze.

Remus was stretched out in a bed in the back if the room. The quilts were at his feet, exposing his thickly bandaged arms, a red glow already beginning to show through the gauze.

Ophelia sat down in the straight back chair and took one of her brother's frail hands between her own. Remus peered at her through half-opened eyes before mustering a slight smile.

She took her time surveying his state. "You look terrible." she concluded dryly.

"I can always count on your honesty, eh Phe?" he grumbled, struggling to sit up.

Ophelia placed a firm hand on his shoulder, steadying him. "Lay down. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey told you to relax." she said. "What did she give you?"

Remus motioned to the bed stand , where a flask of black liquid stood. "It helps the pain." he explained.

"And these?" replied Ophelia, meaning the freshly drawn wounds.

"They'll be healed up tonight." said Remus, "I'm not allowed to return to classes until tomorrow, so you'll be sure to take notes for me?"

She groaned, only half serious. "Remus, you already know what we're studying--" But once she saw his look of urgency, she promised to get Lily's notes.

Ophelia stayed with him until the clear bell rang out, signaling the end of breakfast, after agreeing to visit him after dinner.


	9. Mai Thyalcine

CHAPTER EIGHT **Mai Thylacine**

As their months at Hogwarts progressed, James, Remus, Sirius and Ophelia learned more about their new friends.

Petey would gladly take the blame if a prank went awry. He was also fairly good in their practical Defence Against the Dark Arts classes.

Lily however, was exceptionally good in Charms, as well as every other class, of course. And unknown to all but Talia and Ophelia, she had a wicked sense of humour.

But one person managed to elude their company, day after day.

Mai Thylacine, the tiny waif of a witch, stood just over five feet tall, with her long, auburn hair falling neatly down her back.

She had successfully avoided James and the rest by spending free time outside, finding some quiet spot to practice her gymnastics. Once, filled with a confusing mix of boredom and spontanaity and feeling as though she was about to burst, Mai dropped her books and cartwheeled down the corridor. But a Ravenclaw boy saw this and shot her a 'look', and that had put a stop to her indoor acrobatics.

For now.

Winter had finally come and grandly announced it's arrival with a glittering white snow, just shy of a meter. It had appeared overnight, as is the fashion of the first real snow of the year.

Rubeus Hagrid, the groundsman, had gone to painstaking lengths to create a path from the castle to the greenhouse, and as no other clearings were needed, Mai found herself stuck indoors.

She grudingly decided to put her time to good use by camping out in the library each night. She thought this the safest bet to avoid those who spent History of Magic lessons debating the merits of obscure Quidditch teams.

However, the more Mai tried to repress that voice in her head, the one that laughed with glee every time Sirius Black or one of the older boys made a fool out of a skulking Slytherin, the more she secretly desired to join their ranks.

Lucien, her closest friend since she was a child, had taught her a few curses that she was sure the boys in her House hadn't heard of. Growing up, she and Lucien would sometimes filch their parent's wands to play tricks on unsuspecting Muggles. Nothing serious, mind you, just enough to amuse an eight year-old.

So you can imagine the surprise when she was daydreaming yet another day away in the library and noticed the four Gryffindor boys slink in and take the table in the back.

Peter, the mousy one, was nervously playing with a cloth bag in his hands. Whether or not it held any importance, Mai noticed that they had stationed themselves directly across from a stringy-haired Slytherin. She had never really paid him so much as a glance, but she thought his name was Crabbey or something like that.

A bit of whatever was in Peter's bag had come loose, and there was a now a fine, orange powder gathered at his feet.

_"Screeching Powder," _thought Mai. She and Lucien had used the stuff only last summer, but it had left a horrible stain on their hands and his mother had traced it back to them.

Mai quickly scribbled a warning and on the pretense of looking for a book, walked past Potter's table and dropped the folded parchment into his lap. She thoughtlessly grabbed a weighty book entitled 'Faery Tribes of Britain', and returned to her seat.

She glanced up just in time to receive an appreciative smile from Sirius before turning back to her reading, which was turning out to be quite fascinating.

"Maybe just once every so often," she thought to herself. "Besides, we can't let the boys have all the fun when it comes to hexing the Slytherins."

Mai Thylacine carefully gathered her things and headed to the dorms. But not before hexing a fourth year's teeth green.


	10. Arising Questions

CHAPTER NINE ** Arising Questions**

Soon after the first snowfall had blanketed the castle and temporarily suspended all outdoor activities, the Christmas holiday arrived.

Remus and Ophelia made plans for their friends to stay at the Manor during the last week of vacation, when they could properly go over all the gifts they had received.

On their way to Kings Cross, Lily was bouncing excitedly in her seat, all the while munching on a Cauldron cake.

"I have so much to show my family." she said, "My spellbooks... _Oh! _and the deck of Exploding Snap that Remus lent me, not to mention the Chocolate Frogs I stashed away on my bag."

James turned to the rest of them and made a strained face as Lily continued to list off the magical things she had packed away.

"Well, I hope they enjoy them." said Ophelia, ignoring him.

The Hogwarts Express pulled into the station and all of the students quickly exited the train.

They stood on the platform, huddled in a tight circle.

Sirius was shooting nervous glances over his shoulder. His parents, Aurelius and Hecate Black, were standing a little ways away. The couple was sharply dressed, as they were everyday, and exuded an air of superiority. Sirius' mother, Hecate, had a particularly sour expression on her face.

Ophelia realised that the recent news of her son's induction into Gryffindor thereby ending the Black tradition of being sorted into Slytherin, in addition to the Half-Bloods-- or worse --that now surrounded her, Hecate was probably having a fairly bad day.

Sirius caught Ophelia studying his parents and forced a brave smile.

"Good luck." she muttered

He shrugged his shoulders. "Five days is nothing compared to the time I spent with them before school began."

They said their good-byes and joined their families.

Talia was completely ecstatic, dancing round Noah, shouting out random things, such as what they had learned in the past few months.

"It's been so incredible!" she cried. "James and Sirius have been cursing all the Slytherins! And I know that's really bad but it's been quite fun to watch."

Once she had quited down, Noah retrieved the portkey- an intricately carven hand mirror -and they all placed a finger somewhere on it's surface. A few moments later, they were transported to the Lupin Manor in Edinburgh.

Ophelia looked around at the familiar sitting room. Their four house elves were lined up against the azure marble fireplace. All were dressed in a purple smock, the dominant colour in the family crest. They bowed low, their long snouts scraping the ground.

Already, Ophelia was plotting how to free this new lot. It seemed as though the Lupin family had an unnatural supply of house elves at their disposal. When she would release one from their service, two more were sent in their place.

Helena seemed to read her daughter's thoughts as she immediately stepped in front of them. "Maybe you children should go to your rooms and unpack."

Remus stomped up the staircase. "I'm almost twelve, Helena." he scoffed. "That's barely a child."

Ophelia ran in front of him and entered her familiar bedroom. Everything was as she had left it; her wardrobe and easel were on good order, as was the unmade bed.

She sat down at her large, black desk and took out the homework they had been assigned over break, hoping to get it out of the way as soon as she could.

Before going to bed, Ophelia sent an owl to Lily, saying that she hoped her holiday was off to a better start than her own.

When she awoke in the morning of 21 December, it took a few moments for her to realise that it was her birthday.

Remus bounded into her room and jumped onto the bed. "Happy birthday! Happy birthday!" he cried.

Ophelia sat up and motioned for her brother to calm down. "What did you get me?"

He grinned wickedly. "Well, you'll have to get up to see. It's downstairs."

Remus dragged her out of bed and they went to the family room, where a large, red was placed on the elaborately stitched rug.

Ophelia tore off the paper to reveal a tiny silver kitten curled up tightly in a wicker basket. "You got me a cat?" she giggled, picking the small creature up in her arms. "Thanks, Remus."

"You're welcome." he smiled. "But it's not a cat, it's a Kneazle."

She nodded her approval and named her new friend Celebel, Bel for short, and laid her down on the bed before joining the others in the breakfast chamber.

They feasted on glazed orange slices and fluffy pancakes, with banana juice to wash it down.

After the meal, Talia, Remus and Ophelia went outside to skate on the frozen lake. It was a fairly grey and dreary day, but several bright sea beasts swam under the ice, illuminating the crystal surface.

They stayed out in the biting cold until Helena sent a shivering Frinka to fetch them for dinner.

Soon after, Ophelia retired to her bedroom and for the remainder of the evening, she and Remus played with Bel.

The following days could not pass quickly enough, as they trudged about the house, searching for random ways to pass the time. Talia spent the hours playing Wizard's Chess with Noah in the study.

On the morning of 26 December, Remus and Ophelia were dragging a pink ribbon across the floor for Bel to chase, when Sirius fell through the fireplace. He crawled over to the couch and pulled himself up. Sirius looked exhausted, his hair fell limply across his brow and his eyelids were heavy. He wearily lifted his hand in a weak sort of wave.

"You look great." said Remus sarcastically.

Sirius shook his head. "I had no clue five days could feel like five years."

"It's relativity." Ophelia replied distractedly.

"It's what?"

"Relativity." she repeated, looking up at them. "Lily's been telling me about it. Basically, it explains how time is inconsistent and how an hour can feel like a minute when you're doing something you enjoy, while in the flip side, an hour can feel like an eternity when you're doing something you despise."

Remus frowned. "How did she learn about that?"

"Her father is a brain doctor. Lily reads all of his brochures and things." explained Phe.

"Well anyways, the last week was torture." Sirius continued. "Hecate was particularly horrible, she spent the entire time telling me how I had shamed the Black family by not_ allowing myself to become a Slytherin_." Sirius scrunched up his face and imitated his mother's voice._ "You're a failure to our family and to yourself." _A wide smile spread across his face. "That part was fun at least. Knowing I had disappointed--"

James tumbled from the fireplace and knocked Remus over. He jumped to his feet and brushed the soot from his face.

"Sorry about that, mate." he said. "Ah, you survived then?"

Sirius grinned. "Just barely. How are you James? Have a good Christmas?"

He collapsed next to his friend. "Very good, actually. I got a new SilverFlash. Fastest broomstick I've ever ridden. How about you?"

Remus laughed dryly. "Phe and I got the only thing Noah and Helena know how to give...which is money."

"Better than what I got." chuckled Sirius. "Lectured on how to befriend the _better _House. Apparently," he continued, "They'll like me more if I don't hex them."

"You've been going about it all wrong then." giggled Ophelia, getting to her feet.

"Where are you going?" asked Remus.

She cocked her head to the side. "Lily's coming. But..she'll be delayed. She's never traveled by Floo before. She'll be upstairs. In Remus' grate."

The three boys stared back at her skeptically. How do you know that?" James demanded.

"I don't know." she replied, making her way upstairs.

The others followed, eager to see if her prediction would be accurate. They didn't have to wait long, for as soon as they opened the door to his bedroom, Lily rolled out of the fireplace.

Seeing her friends, she broke out into a smile. "That was different."

The following days passed as slowly as they had come. Before they knew it, they were returning to Hogwarts to begin their second term.

A week after they arrived from holiday, Remus left for the shack. Before he left, he told his friends the usual story; Helena was sick and he had to visit her.

Only after he left did James and Sirius realise they had seen his mother only a short while ago and she had appeared to be perfectly healthy.

"Why didn't you go with Remus?" asked Sirius, when he and James had cornered Ophelia in the common room.

"I'm,er..susceptible to germs." she hastily explained. "Remus has a natural immunity against it."

James smiled, content with her answer. "Well, that makes sense."

Ophelia gathered her books. "Yes, well, if there are no more questions I must be going."

James checked his watch. "Oh. So do we, Sirius, if we're still going to complete our Astronomy charts." Sirius sat silently by the window, deep in thought, before he darted up to the dormitory.

When James breathlessly reached the room, Sirius was tearing through his bureau drawers. "Wh-wh-what are y-you doing?" panted James.

Sirius was studying his calendar, every so often flipping to the next month. "There's a pattern to Mrs Lupin's illness." he said finally.

"Well?"

"It's always during a full moon. Isn't that a bit odd?"

James shrugged his shoulders. "Could be a coincidence."

Sirius drifted over to his friend. "Or maybe..she's a werewolf." he said, dropping his voice low.

"Come off it!" replied James, almost breaking into a laugh. "We've known Helena for six years. She's not a werewolf."

"But how do you know that?" Sirius urged.

James sat down, deciding to humour his friend's idea. "Alright. So say she is a werewolf. What good is Remus visiting her going to do?"

"I don't know."

"And if visiting is good for..a werewolf, why would Phe make excuses not to go?" he continued.

"I don't know." Sirius repeated. "Unless...no.."

"Unless what?"

"Unless...you don't think Remus could.."

"What? Be a werewolf?" This time James did burst out laughing. "That's hilarious."

Sirius' expression was grave. "I don't think I've ever seen him on a full moon. Or the day after, come to think of it. And when we do see him, he's kind of feeble-looking, wouldn't you say?"

James had given up trying to dissuade Sirius. "At least go down to the library and research it properly before you jump to the wrong conclusion."

He grudgingly agreed and they made their way to the library. Mai, the girl that had warned them against the Screeching Powder a few weeks ago, was crouched in a corner desk, poring over an old volume.

Sirius led James to a section covering Half-Breeds, such as Vampyrs, Veela and of course, Werewolves. They selected a heavy reference book, entitled 'History of the Werewolf and Ways of Identifying'.

Following hours of comparing Remus against the given characteristics of a common werewolf, a bleary-eyed Sirius had come to the conclusion that his best friend was a werewolf.


	11. The Snape in the Class

CHAPTER TEN ** The Snape in the Class**

During the dwindling months of their first year, Sirius was sure to keep his suspicions about Remus in check, and it appeared as though his secret was still safe. Activities continued as normal in classes and it seemed as though James, Peter and Sirius became rowdier as the days got warmer.

Remus had his nose to the grindstone, taking notes almost word for word in preparation for the exams.

And so it remained that during the last week of classes, energy was running low, save for the pranksters.

"Is History of Magic one of those classes we're forces to take up to fifth-year?" James yawned loudly.

Sirius looked from Professor Binns back to his friend and grinned. "'Fraid so. They think we'll need this once we're out of school."

"Some of us will." said Lily through gritted teeth.

Peter lowered his voice a tad, actually concerned about disturbing Lily. "Did you notice Snape talking to McGonagall after class this morning?"

Sirius frowned. "Who?"

"The greasy-haired Slytherin boy." replied Remus absentmindedly, not taking his eyes off the parchment.

"Oh him." said Sirius, pointing to the fron of the classroom. As if on cue, Snape turned round in his seat and shot them a look of pure contempt. "Charming fellow. What about him, Pete?"

"He told McGonagall that he saw us plant the Bubbling Toads in the Great Hall last week."

James leaned forward, finally taking interest in the conversation. "How the bloody hell is that possible? We did it at midnight. Unless he was--"

"Following us." Remus finished.

"That's pretty pathetic, wouldn't you agree?" laughed Sirius. "The little prat has nothing better to do then sneak around after us."

"Maybe he wants to be your friend." said Talia suddenly.

"Hope not." scoffed Ophelia "He's kind of creepy. I don't want him hanging about us."

"Well you can rest assured, Phe, because I don't think that's it." replied Sirius.

On their way to lunch, the boys quickly overtook Snape in the hallway. "Hey Snape! Wait a bit!" called James. "I hear you were slinking about rather late a few nights ago."

The boy made a sound, somewhere between a hiss and a sniffle, as though he had a cold. "What I do with my time is my business." he answered coldly, continuing on to the Great Hall.

Sirius howled, almost doubled over with laughter. "Anyone else hear that noise he made, or was it just me?"

James took off his thick glasses and wiped his eyes. "Aww, it was like a crying little demon baby."

"Let's call him that." cried Peter, slapping his knees in amusement.

Remus shook his head. "Nah. It would take too long to shout after him."

"Well what's his first name?" asked Sirius.

Peter thought for a moment. "Severus. Severus Snape."

James clapped his hands together. "I've got it. Snivellus. His name will be the sound he makes. It's perfect."

"I only wish we had thought of this earlier in the year." said Remus.

"I wouldn't worry about that. We still have six more years with our little crying demon baby." replied James


	12. A Forming Conspiracy

CHAPTER ELEVEN** A Forming Conspiracy**

Their first exams passed with relative ease and they found themselves once more at a cross-roads of sorts. Remus, Peter, Talia, Lily, Sirius, James and Ophelia stood in their familiar circle, finalizing their plans to visit one another.

Lily would arrive a week before classes began.

Sirius would be spending a week at Grimmauld Place before he left for James' house in Manchester. Together, along with Peter, they would come to the Manor in August.

As they had done before,Talia secluded herself in her bedroom while Remus and Ophelia moped about the house together until the next month would bring the return of their friends.

However James and Sirius had put their time to better use. By now, they both agreed that their friend was definitely a werewolf, but they also knew they couldn't go on pretending Remus was an ordinary wizard.

James gently rubbed his temples. "Yes Sirius, I understand where you're coming from, but we can't very well go up to him and say 'Gee Remus, how's being a werewolf treating you?'"

"That's not what I'm suggesting. Of course we have to be tactful about it but-"

James grinned wickedly. "Sirius Black knows what _tact_ is? I almost died of shock just now."

"We Blacks may be corrupt , but we still have our common manners." he replied dryly.

"That's news to me." James muttered, stuffing his mouth with Every Flavor Beans. "Maybe he'll tell us on his own."

"What makes you say that? I think if he was going to tell us he would have done so already." said Sirius, shaking his head. "No. We'll have to confront him."

"Confront him?" repeated James. "Is that really our only choice?"

"It's the only one I can see." An idea suddenly came to him. "Unless... if you had such an incredible secret, wouldn't you tell the person you trusted most in the world? The one person you knew could never betray you?"

"Of course! Phe knows!"

"She most likely does. But she's as protective of him as he is of her. If she had even the slightest doubt that we might abandon him, she'd freeze up and we wouldn't get anything out of her." said Sirius.

James frowned, slightly pained. "Why would we.. run away once we found out?"

"Well we haven't really talked about what we're going to do when they tell us. If they tell us." Sirius added, after a moments consideration. "Do we want to know just for the sake of knowing?"

"I guess." shrugged James. "My main goal is just to get everything out in the open."

"Then maybe we shouldn't risk ruining our holiday and talk to her after school begins."


	13. THE ROW

_**Revised and Extended**_

CHAPTER TWELVE **The Row**

The fall semester of their second year began rather monotonously. Classes picked up as if they had never ended and the summer was only a distant memory. They were finding it unusually easy to slip back into their old routines.

Lily and Ophelia were in the Great Hall eating dinner when James, Remus, Peter and Sirius burst between the tables, laughing like maniacs.

"I'm on the Quidditch team!" James screamed. "I'm the new Gryffindor Seeker!"

"Thanks for clearing that up." said Lily. "I thought that maybe Ravenclaw had nabbed you."

"Congratulations!" cried Ophelia.

The captain, a Fifth Year named Frank Longbottom, trailed slightly behind them. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been there to see it myself. Potter can fly."

Sirius jumped onto the long table. "As if there was any doubt. I would like to present the best thing that's ever happened to Quidditch since.." he paused. "Well, since the invention of the broomstick."

James never one to be modest, leaped up next to Sirius and bowed pretentiously. "Thank you, thank, you."

Lily shook her head in disgust. "I don't see what the big deal is. It's only a game."

The table went quiet leaving Frank to back his way out of the Hall. James leapt down, "Only a game?" he repeated. "Was the Dwarf Rebellion only a game? Was the--"

Lily held up her hand to silence him. "You're comparing Quidditch, a silly game where you chase a little ball around, to a battle where wizards and dwarves both died?"

"First of all, it's called a Snitch, and it's only worth one-hundred and fifty points! And secondly, the two people who died, died of old age. A month after the battle ended!"

"You are impossible, Potter!" huffed Lily, storming out of the Hall. Sirius, James and Remus all looked to Ophelia, as if waiting for the same kind of outburst. She shrugged her shoulders. "Er, congratulations again." she said before chasing after her friend.

"What was that about?" asked Ophelia.

"He's so arrogant, don't you think?" she replied, heading towards the Gryffindor Tower. "As if the world revolves around him and his opinion is gold."

"Yes, but that's James, I guess. He's always been like that." she reasoned. "He's only half-serious. And you have to take it with the good."

_"Lubers nelier." _said Lily, the portrait swinging back. The two girls collapsed onto the couch.

"It's only our second year and he's acting like a complete prat."

"Alright Lily, here's the deal. You insulted the thing that he loves most so of course--"

"You think that it was my fault?"

"No, no. You're my best friend, I have to side with you, it's like..the law or something." said Ophelia. "But maybe in the future, if you didn't mock Quidditch as much, he wouldn't be a prat."

"Well if he wasn't such a prat I wouldn't make fun of Quidditch." Lily pouted.

The next day, Ophelia thought it would be best if she left her friends to their own devices, and escaped to a secluded hill overlooking the lake. She was deeply involved in her Defence textbook, occasionally scribbling random passages on a roll of parchment in front of her. A cool breeze stirred the pages, a sure sign of the coming winter.

Ophelia reviewed the last paragraph while sucking on the tip of her sugared quill. "No, that can't be right, can it?" she muttered to herself. "If drank, the blood of Fiddlybows will cure vampiric tendencies?" She shrugged and continued writing.

"Hey Phe!" James called, jogging over. "We've been searching the castle for you."

"Well, I hope it wasn't for help with your vampire essays." she said, as he, Peter and Sirius joined her on the springy ground.

"Now that you offer it..." Sirius began. James elbowed him in the ribs. "Another time then."

"No. It wasn't anything like that." said James. Peter and James looked at him reproachfully. "We need to talk to you about Remus."

Ophelia's heart began to race. "Has something happened? Is he alright?"

"No, no. You misunderstood." he apologised. "He's fine."

She steadied her breathing. "That's a relief."

"We just wanted to talk." said Peter.

Her pulse quickened again. "About what?"

"We know his secret." whispered Sirius.

"S-Secret?" she stuttered, avoiding their looks. "I'm afraid I d-don't know what you're t-talking about."

"Phe, it's okay." James replied quietly.

"Yeah, we know he's a werewolf." added Peter.

Ophelia slammed her book closed. "My brother is not a...werewolf." she hissed, lowering her eyes.

"We don't care of he is." said Sirius.

"We just want to help."

_"Help?" _she snapped. "Just how do you think you can help him? Are you going to hold his hand during the full moon?"

"Phe, we just--"

"No, Forget all that you think you know, because you..you..you don't know anything!" Ophelia screeched, running off to the castle.

"Huh." said Sirius, clicking his tongue. "I thought that went over pretty well."

"It was a disaster!" replied Peter. "I didn't expect her to go off on us quite like that."

"I did." shrugged James. "But we have to keep trying. Either that or we approach Remus."

Ophelia anticipated this, however, and made it near impossible for them to catch her alone. When they were around each other, during classes or at meals, she acted as if they didn't exist. This treatment lasted for a month until Ophelia eventually let her guard down.

She was sitting in a dark corner of the common room, looking out a grey window.

"Can we talk?"

She looked up to see Sirius and James hovering over her. "We're in the common room. It's a neutral zone." she answered stiffly.

They pulled up a few chairs and sat down.

"Do you want to talk about last month?" James asked tentatively.

Ophelia held her chin up proudly. "I don't what you're talking about."

"Of course you do." said Sirius.

"We don't think we made it clear that we...understand."

"Right." said James. "We've been researching...werewolves, and we know a lot about them. The transformations, the behaviour.."

Ophelia looked up at them, eyes like daggers. "You think you know what it's like just because you've read a few books?" she cried. "You know nothing!"

"Okay," said Sirius kindly. "You're right, but you'll have to help us out here. James and I, well, we're not crazy purists. We understand Remus isn't himself when he transforms. We only want to h--"

"Support him." interrupted James. "Like mates should."

Ophelia sighed. "You both realise that if it ever came down to it, I would win a duel with either one of you?" Sirius and James nodded. "So if I ever found out that you had betrayed my brother I would come after you."

James smiled, in respect rather than ridicule. "I wouldn't expect any less."

"So I'm guessing you want me to talk to Remus?" she guessed.

"We actually just wanted you to be there when we told him." said Sirius. "Just to...calm him down. If it comes to that."

"It will." she replied. "But I would wait until holiday. He wouldn't appreciate it very much if you approached him here."

James nodded. "Thanks. And you'll be there with us, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Great." Sirius grinned. "Now about Riley's essay. Can I read your's over?"

"Oh sure. And while you're at it, why don't you just erase my name and put your own? Save you a bit of trouble."

Sirius grinned. "Thanks Phe. That's really generous."

In the next few weeks, once classes were suspended for break everyone left for home.

As was becoming a tradition among the friends, Peter, Sirius and James arrived shortly after Christmas.

The night before Lily was set to come, they agreed the time was as good as any to speak with Remus.

"Remember that I'm only here to oversee this and to make sure my brother doesn't hex you." Ophelia reminded them quietly as they took their places in the darkened family room. The only light was cast by the marble fireplace, causing weird shadows to dance upon their gloomy faces.

Remus entered the room carrying a tray of banana juice and glasses. He quickly noticed their downcast expressions. "What's the matter with everyone?" he asked brightly. Ophelia moved closer to Talia on the couch, both silent.

"We know." squealed Peter.

"God Pete!" cried Sirius. "You don't just put it out there like that! You have to ease into it."

"You know _what_?" Remus chuckled nervously.

James took a moment to think over his words. "Er...we recently figured out that..you're..a...werewolf."

Remus paled. "W-What? I'm not a w-werewolf." He looked to his sister for some kind of affirmation. Ophelia stared at the hardwood.

"Your mother's not sick." said Sirius. "We know this. You're always away during the full moon."

"You're covered in bruises and scars." added Peter.

"Phe?" whispered Remus, his breath coming in short gasps.

"I think maybe you should hear them out, Rem." she said quietly.

He cleared his throat. "I know I should have told you all earlier but--"

James stood up and quickly moved next to Remus. "That's not why we brought this up."

"They want to support you or something." muttered Ophelia.

Sirius and James exchanged an uneasy look. "Actually," began Sirius, "We want to do more than that."

"What do you mean?" Remus and Ophelia said in unison.

"We've been looking into it and have decided to become Animagi." replied James. "That way we can keep you company during the full moon."

Remus sat there, stunned. '"I, um, pardon? Animagi?" he asked. "Like..as in animals?" Peter nodded excitedly.

"W-Wait," stuttered Ophelia. "Wizards have died attempting to become Animagi. Right?"

Sirius squeezed his thumb and forefinger together. "Very few have died. Most who fail are permanently turned into an animal."

"What percent of people who try to become Animagi end up failing?" asked Talia, speaking up.

"Sixty-seven." said Peter.

"I really appreciate that you would all do that for me." Remus started. "But I can't let you risk that."

"You might think that this is just one of those things we run into with our eyes closed." chuckled James, "But we've put a lot of thought into this."

"Even me." Sirius grinned. "You're going to have to go through your entire life with this," he continued, "And this is really the only thing we can do to help."

"Besides, we're kind of set on doing this." said Peter.

Remus chuckled, officially surrendering to their will. "I'm..speechless."

"Finally, some good news." howled Sirius.

Talia and Ophelia soon excused themselves and the boys spent the remainder of the night in the family room. Although she didn't wholly approve of her friends decision. the next day she made a trip to Flourish and Blotts and presented James, Peter and Sirius with a book entitled _1027 Steps to Becoming an Animagi._


	14. Missed Calculations

CHAPTER THIRTEEN **Missed Calculations**

It was decided that the first batch of Potions would not be created until the summer. The following months, which should have been spent catching up on the classwork they had shirked off earlier, was now spent devouring anything they could find on Animagus transformations.

From a desire to push things along, they dubbed themselves the Marauders, even after Lily pointed out that they hadn't really pulled any pranks in the last year, unless they counted hexing Snivellus on a weekly basis, which she didn't.

They had completed their exams in less time than the year before, or so it felt to them. Oddly enough, Sirius and James had managed to snag half-way decent scores.

After a brief visit with their families, Sirius, James and Peter headed for the Lupin Manor to begin their transformations. As the title of the book hinted, becoming an Animagi was a long and complicated procedure, which involved a lot of precise potion making. To reduce the risk of mistakes and failure, everyone was given a task.

Talia, who excelled at potions far more than the others, was assigned to oversee the quantities and mixing, to ensure nothing blew up in their faces. Or that James wasn't permanently changed into a walrus.

Ophelia and Remus were put in charge of the rare ingredients, like the tail hair of an elder male unicorn who was born during the Autumn Equinox of a leap year. This particular component was only ever used in an Animagi potion, so the market witch who sold it to them was suspicious. When asked, they gave the names of Barrie and Jean Caufield.

Lily, once she was told of Remus', agreed to help out in any way she could. James personally gave her the job of recording their daily activities. He insisted on lecturing her about keeping extremely detailed notes, until she broke a candlestick over his head. After that, James trusted Lily to efficiently keep records on her own.

As September was approaching, they found that there was nothing more for them to do. The instructions called for the potion to ferment for four months, which meant it would be ready over their winter break.

Talia was fretting over a potential mistake they had made. She paced the length of Ophelia's bedroom, scratching her head.

"Lily?" Talia called, "Lily. Can I see your notes for 18 July? Lily?"

Ophelia leaped out of the armchair, eager to get away from Talia's tense mood. "I'll go find her, alright?"

Following an exhaustive search of all the rooms in the manor, Ophelia found Lily outside. She was riding Remus's old rocket, her hair completely wind-blown and a smile creeping upon her face.

"It's not that bad, really." she said, avoiding James' _I-told-you-so _glares. "Bit fast, though."

Ophelia repressed a smile. "Remus go that broom for his sixth birthday. Probably a good idea to stay away from James' Sliverflash."

"Right." Lily grinned. "Oh. Do you need something?"

"Yes. Thank you for reminding me- Talia would have had my head. She's going mental. She wants to see your 18 July file."

Lily dismounted her broom and followed Ophelia back into the house, where Talia was now wandering the halls muttering to herself.

"Lily!" she cried upon seeing her friend. "Do you have the--"

She pushed the pages into Talia's hands. "That's all of them." she said, "Just make sure they're all in order when you return them."

Talia collapsed into a rocker and began studying the records. Ophelia and Lily made their way into the kitchen to pig-out on hot caramel cobbler, but were interrupted a few minutes later when a loud shriek echoed from the sitting room. Talia trudged into the kitchen and slammed the notes down onto the counter. "Right, well, the potion's crap." The Marauders came in after hearing the scream.

"What's wrong?" asked James, immediately helping himself to some cobbler.

"We might as well throw out the potion, because I royally screwed it up." said Talia. "I added the mink whiskers at 6 o'clock pm, rather than 6 o'clock am, like I was supposed to."

"No, Tal, it's not your fault." said Sirius. "We didn't really expect to get it right on the first go."

"But if you mess up next time..." said James, shaking his fist at her.

Talia laughed, easing up a bit. "Right. So when do we want to try again?"

The kitchen went silent. They had all worked so hard and it had completely drained them in all meanings of the word.

"Tomorrow." said Peter, eager to start again. "If we start tomorrow, we'll have just enough time...won't we?"


	15. BRAND NEW YEAR

_**Revised and Extended**_

CHAPTER FOURTEEN** Brand New Year**

But it was decided they would try to tackle the Animagus potion for a second time over Christmas break. Until then they would concentrate on their new course load. Talia, Lily and Ophelia had taken Arithmancy, with Peter. And Ophelia and Sirius, alone of the group, took Muggle Studies.

They found themselves sitting at that all too familiar table, glancing over their third year timetables.

"What the bloody hell is Divination?" cried James with a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"Your registered for a class without knowing what it was?" Lily giggled. "Real smart, Potter."

They made their way to their first class, a double Defence Against the Dark Arts with Slytherin. As per usual they immediately claimed the back rows. But this year, however, Severus chose the table in front of them.

James nudged Remus. "Aw, look," he whispered. "Snivellus hit a growth spurt over the summer."

"Yeah, his knuckles are almost dragging on the floor." said Peter, joining the conversation.

"Looks like a spell gone wrong, if you ask me." growled Sirius.

"Well no one did, Sirius, so be quiet." said Ophelia,. "It's the first day of school and already you're acting like a git." Sirius reached inside his robes for a Dungbomb but Remus quickly stopped him.

Professor Riley confidently strode to the front of the darkened classroom. "Good morning everyone." he said. "I trust that you all completed the work I assigned in June?" he looked at a few students for confirmation. "Would I be going on a limb to presume that Mr Black, Mr Pettigrew and Mr Potter will not be submitting their essays on the sub-species of the Larnachs and the various types of poison they emit?"

Sirius grinned mischievously. "Here's the deal, Professor Riley, James has a Bulgarian Bottle-Nosed dragon and--"

"Did he eat your report, Mr Black?" asked Riley, hovering over their desks. "That's terrible, really. I'm sure they were top-mark quality."

"Dragons don't eat parchment, Professor, not enough potassium you see. He had a cold, and while James, Pete and myself were putting the finishing touches on our essays, Hippo- the dragon - sneezed, and our papers caught fire."

"That's how it happened." Peter nodded.

Professor Riley raised an eyebrow, obviously enjoying the work Sirius had put into his story. "Miss Vance?"

Emmeline, the fair Ravenclaw, jumped in her chair and quickly lowered her wand, which was emitting a pale blue flame. "Y-Yes?"

"How long did it take you to complete this summer's essay?"

"Er..four or five hours maybe.." she answered.

"That will be good." said Professor Riley. "Five nights detention will give you sufficient time to submit your essays. I'll see the three of you tonight."

James groaned loudly, his head hitting the table. Emmeline gave them a weak smile and mouthed her apologies. With a swish of Riley's wand , seventeen rolls of parchment flew across the room to land upon his desk.

"Well," he continued, "With that nonsense out of the way, we'll begin something new. Can anyone tell me what a Boggart is?" Lily and Remus shot their hands into the air. Professor Riley clicked his tongue in disapproval. "I usually don't cover them until the fourth year, but the Headmaster thought it could be covered a little bit ahead of schedule. So, Miss Evans, enlighten us..."

Lily cleared her throat. "A Boggart is a creature that embodies the worst fears of whoever is near it. Put simply."

"Miss Evans is correct. Boggarts pose no physical harm to us, but if we believe them to be a reality, it may terrorize our minds. How may we exterminate one, Mr Lupin?"

"By forcing it to take the shape of something that will make us laugh."

"And we do this by.."

"By using the Riddikulus charm." said Remus.

"You are correct." he repeated. "I had planned on using a Boggart in Mr Filch's office, but he seemingly misunderstood me when I said 'I will take care of it', and proceeded to exterminate it once I had left." Professor Riley chuckled to himself. "So until another is located, I will ask you to spend the remainder of the class reading up on the Boggart, noting especially where they are found, physical characteristics- or lack thereof - you all know the procedure."

During lunch, they took turns guessing at each others Boggart.

"Pete's would be an empty room." said James. Everyone at the table laughed, including Peter, who obviously did not understand the meaning behind James' joke.

"And mine will be Petunia." said Lily, sipping at her pumpkin juice. "What about you, Phe?"

She thought for a moment. "I don't know."

Throughout the conversation Remus had been unusually quiet. They all knew what shape his Boggart would take and he was becoming anxious at the thought of the other students seeing the full moon materialize.

Peter smiled at him encouragingly. "Maybe Riley won't make you have a go at it." he muttered.

Remus shrugged. "I hope you're right."

James was careening wildly across the grass a few weeks later, with Peter perched precariously on his shoulders. Sirius and Remus were running ahead, loudly announcing themselves in their typical fanfare fashion.

Bumping into people as they went, Severus Snape went unnoticed as he staggered towards them carrying a tall stack of books.

James' foot snagged a gnarled tree root and he tripped, sending Pete flying into Snape. After throwing a particularly ugly look at James, Snape quickly gathered up his things.

A scrap of parchment caught Sirius' eye and he snatched it up. It was a crudely drawn picture of the four friends, after their wands had backfired, giving them all extremely exaggerated features.

"I didn't know you were such an artist, Snivelly." said Sirius, waving the drawing in front of him.

"That's not mine." Snape sneered, grabbing for the parchment.

Sirius threw it to James who looked it over, a faint smirk appearing on his face. "I must say, Snivellus, I think I look better without the elephant's trunk. But that's just my opinion.

Snape turned crimson. "It isn't mine." he said through gritted teeth before stomping off to the castle.

Remus, now holding the cartoon, was laughing uncontrollably. "He drew me without any hair. Bit ironic, don't you think?"

"He's not just miserable and greasy now." said Sirius. "He's a prat."

"Oh, I disagree with you, mate." grinned James. "I think he's always been a prat. Only now he's a prat who's gotten in our way."

Remus sat down on the grass, resting his hands behind his head. "Are you proposing we do something?"

"Like filling his robes with tar pellets?" Peter suggested.

"Mmm, maybe for an introduction." said Sirius.

There conversation was abruptly cut short as Ophelia and Talia collapsed next to them on the grass, laughing like maniacs.

"What's the matter with the two of you?" James asked.

"We were in the library," Talia began. "And it was fairly deserted except for us, Mai, Pandora and Rianna."

"We were reviewing our Astronomy notes with Mai, and you know how she gets when she hasn't cursed anyone in a while."

"And she was getting antsy being around the Slytherin tarts and not doing anything about it."

"So as we were leaving, she asked us to create a diversion for her." said Ophelia.

"Phe starts crying that she'd gone blind and was running aroung knocking books of the shelves."

"And Mai cursed Rianna and Pandora, making them do a stream of back flips. I didn't catch the wording. Did you, Tal?"

"No," replied Tal, "It sounded a bit Circe, though."

"Mmm, I guess."

"Oh right! So the reason we came to find you was because--"

"We need an alibi--"

"If anyone asks--"

"We were with you." they said in unison.

Remus cleared his throat. "Well, that was different."

"Wait a minute." said James, wide-eyed. "You mean to tell me that you...you cursed someone?"

"Were you not listening to our story?" cried Phe. "We just knocked over a few books."

"Small steps." said Sirius. "You're both on your way to becoming Grade-E pranksters."

"Please." Talia scoffed. "If I wanted to waste my time I would find something worthwhile."

Before the Marauders could reply, Ophelia pushed Talia to her feet and they ran back to the castle.


	16. Compounded Emotions

CHAPTER FIFTEEN **Of Compounded Emotions**

While on their first visit to Hogsmeade, they replenished their dwindling supply of ingredients needed for the Animagi potion. Dressed in their Gryffindor colours, the market wizard believed their story of requiring a unicorn tail hair for an upcoming Potions class.

Upon returning home to the Lupin Manor during their third year Christmas break, they attempted the concoction for once again, and failed for a second time. This potion solidified and turned white, effectively ruining Sirius' cauldron as he reminded them several times on the train ride to Hogwarts.

James had decided to drop Divination as he was having a particularly horrible time. He didn't actually believe the legitimacy of it, much to the chagrin of their professor.

As for their other classes, Lily and Talia were snagging top-marks in Arithmancy, occasionally nudging Ophelia awake. She claimed she was taking it all in subconsciously, until Talia muttered "We'll see when exams come." rather threateningly.

However, both Sirius and Ophelia were enjoying Muggle Studies. The class had began with Muggle electronics, which completely fascinated them. Sirius had now become obsessed with owning a _teleefision_, and Lily was constantly without her record player. After a few months of Sirius stealing it, she finally just broke down and bought him one over Easter break. After that, Lily's record player was always at their disposal. Mai would usually crawl into the dorm around ten o'clock to find Talia, Ophelia and Lily listening to Black Sabbath while going over their Ancient Runes homework.

The following summer, their plans hit a snag when James announced his parents had planned a trip to Dunedin, where his uncle was a senior member of the New Zealand Ministry of Magic. As it was, their next try would have to wait until the following Christmas break, when they would all be there to oversee the process.

Instead, the summer was used for quality time with their unloved ones, as Sirius so articulately put it. In his case, this lasted for three days before he showed up in the Lupin fireplace with his trunk.

Pete stayed with his mum until the third week of August. Mrs Pettigrew was so pleased at not having received any letters from Hogwarts in the past year, that she let him get away with anything he wished.

Talia spent most of the summer with Sirius, Remus and Ophelia, but as their fourth year loomed ever nearer, she spent more time alone in her bedroom. When she did come out for meals, she looked extremely ill and was finding it hard to do even the simplest of tasks.

It became so bad that Noah insisted on taking her to St Bartholomews. She was diagnosed as being an Empath by Healer Bestwick, the same who had treated Remus what felt like forever ago. Talia had a heightened sensitivity to what the others around her were feeling, and their mood was reflected in how she felt.

There was no potion they could give Talia, only to advise those around her to carry out certain precautions when upset or anxious, or any other emotion that troubled her. Healer Bestwick assured Noah that positive emotions would do no real harm to Talia, no more than a sugar rush could.


	17. Leaving the Nest

CHAPTER SIXTEEN **Leaving the Nest**

Remus came bounding into the common room, a roll of parchment tucked under his arm. He collapsed onto the worn, leather couch next to Ophelia and Talia.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Talia, as Remus struggled to catch his breath.

"N-Noah an-and Helena... are leaving." he said, handing the letter to his sister. "They sent this today."

_"Dear Remus, __Ophelia and Talia," _she began. _"Your mother and I sincerely hope you are enjoying your school year thus far. We are moving to our estate in Versailles. We do not expect you to come with us, as we __realize your home will always be in Edinburgh. However, Helena and I feel we can do no more in raising you. We would like you to spend the summer with us, but after that, you are free to do as you please. Our best wishes, Noah & Helena."_

Talia and Ophelia exchanged a confused look. "They're... leaving?" asked Talia.

Remus grinned. "Have they ever been there, really?"

"But why now?" said Opehlia. "What can they do in France that they can't at the Manor?"

"You want them to stay?" Remus answered. "I doubt we'll even notice their absence."

Talia shrugged. "We can still visit them. I mean, they're not cutting us out of their lives, right?"

"It says they want us to come for holiday." said Ophelia. "Which kind of ruins our plans for the Animagi potion."

"Not necessarily." Remus answered, lowering his voice slightly. "James is certain that he's figured out how to properly brew it next time. He wants to try it again over break."

As if on cue, Sirius and James ran into the room.

"We... borrowed.. the last ingredient for our potion from Professor Caery's bureau." said Sirius. "If it ever comes up, we were with you, studying for...."

"Arithmancy?" Talia suggested.

"Sure. That sounds good." he agreed.

"Neither of you take Arithmancy." Ophelia reminded them.

Remus quickly told his friends about their new situation and it was agreed that they would attempt the potion for a third time over winter holiday.

Upon returning to the Manor, they had three weeks at their utter disposal, but it was used wisely and meticulously, paying special attention to every detail no matter how insignificant Peter deemed it.

By the end of their last day at the Lupines, they had finally gotten the potion right. It would have to ferment for the next seven months and would be ready for James, Peter and Sirius to take during the August full moon. Remus, Talia and Ophelia would not be there to oversee it, but they also wouldn't be needed.

"I wonder what animal I'm going to be?" said James, as they were taking a much needed break in the sitting room.

"A pig." giggled Lily, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Ha ha." he replied dryly. "No, I'll be a lion." James imitated a growl.

"Maybe a kitten." said Sirius. "But don't worry, I'll protect you."

"Why? Think you're going to be a bear?" scoffed Ophelia. "Right."

"I will too."

"I'm going to be an eagle." said Peter, eager to join the conversation.

"Maybe a sparrow, Pete." answered Remus quietly.

The rest of the night's conversation went along these lines, with animals such as porcupines (Sirius), wombats (James) and sloths (Pete) being thrown out as suggestions.

They returned to school and their studies. Only Lily, Remus and Talia were wholly focused on their daily classwork. Ophelia spent most of her free time with James and Peter, going over their notes to make sure they hadn't made any mistakes that could prove fatal.

The potion was perfect. The quantities were exact down to the millimeter. There had been no miscalculations.

When it was time for Talia, Remus and Ophelia to leave for France, they left without any doubts that the transformation would go wrong in even the slightest way.

The next time they would see their friends, Sirius, James and Peter would be Hogwarts' youngest Animagi.

**So that's the end of the first book in the Dark Side series. From here on out, it's smooth sailing and good reading. No more of the "Spring-turned-into-summer-turned-into-autumn" style of writing. A promise is a promise, and thank you for sticking it out this far. From here on, it only gets better. The sequel, _The Lost Days_, is posted and follows the Marauders in Fifth to Seventh Years. Be sure to check it out.**


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